Can E-Cigarettes Really Help Smokers Quit?

Electronic cigarettes are not useful when it comes to helping consumers give up traditional smoking for good. They do provide this effect but for a brief period of time.

E-cigarettes contain toxic substances such as acrolein, acetaldehyde and formaldehyde that can cause cancer.[1][2]

According to a recent study, the electronic devices are an alternative only for a short period of time because smokers will eventually return to their old habit six to eight months later.

Researchers warn that electronic cigarettes can cause a dry cough, throat irritation, difficulty breathing, but also more severe problems such as irregular heartbeat.

The author of the study, the doctor Riyad al-Lehebi at the University of Toronto, says there is no evidence so far to suggest that electronic cigarettes would be effective in stopping smoking.

The downside of the E-cigarettes is that are composed of various non-standard substances, and vapors can stop the activity of an enzyme that fights against inflammation of the lungs. The study was conducted on a sample of 2,223 people and presented at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in Denver.

A report that was recently published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine reveals that adult smokers who use an electronic cigarette are 28 percent less likely to quit smoking traditional cigarettes.[3]

These e-cigs work on batteries that heat up the nicotine and the flavorings in order to provide the vapor to the user. The process is intended to offer the smoker the feeling of smoking, but in the absence of tobacco.

In 2015, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force arrived at the conclusion according to which there is not enough evidence to support the presumption that the E-cigarettes help adults quit smoking.[4]

Electronic cigarettes have appeared on the market as a long-term alternative that is supposed to help smokers give up the nicotine dependence, on the principle of vapors that create the illusion of smoke. They contain fewer toxic substances than its conventional counterparts and that is why are perceived as a harmless and cheaper substitute.

However, the decline begins when we analyze the direct effects that these products have on health. If they do not contain tobacco or tar, the e-cigs include various solvents such as propylene glycol, which is considered toxic, and often nicotine.

Nicotine is classified as a “very dangerous substance” by the World Health Organization, and some of the solutions for recharging electronic cigarettes are highly concentrated in nicotine.

Moreover, regardless of the amount of nicotine, the E-cigarettes can induce dependency.

Intuition could make you believe that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, which indeed represent the greatest evil, according to pulmonary disease specialists. But this intuition cannot be used as evidence – electronic cigarettes can be a real help only in the short-term (a few weeks or a few months maximum).

In conclusion, smokers cannot resort to electronic cigarettes to wean themselves off tobacco, since these devices are not a reliable and safe way that can replace the traditional cigarettes.